Canadian privacy & access decisions

The complainant alleged that Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) improperly withheld information under paragraphs 20(1)(b), 20(1)(c), and 20(1)(d) of the Access to Information Act. The request sought records related to NRCan and/or Canadian Forest Service representatives on the Board of Governors of the Maritime College of Forest Technology (MCFT). While NRCan also withheld information under subsection 19(1) and section 23, these exemptions were not at issue in the complaint. During the investigation, MCFT agreed to disclose two pieces of information that were publicly available. For the remaining information, the Commissioner found that NRCan and MCFT failed to demonstrate that the information met the confidentiality criteria or that there was a reasonable expectation of harm from disclosure, as required by the exemptions. Consequently, the Commissioner ordered NRCan to disclose the information not covered by subsection 19(1) or section 23. NRCan subsequently notified the Commissioner that it would implement the order.

• Whether the records were under the control of Natural Resources Canada
• Whether the information was financial, commercial, scientific or technical under s.20(1)(b)
• Whether the information was confidential under s.20(1)(b)
• Whether the information was supplied by a third party to a government institution under s.20(1)(b)
• Whether the third party consistently treated the information as confidential under s.20(1)(b)
• Whether disclosure could reasonably be expected to result in material financial loss or gain to the third party under s.20(1)(c)
• Whether disclosure could reasonably be expected to injure the competitive position of the third party under s.20(1)(c)
• Whether there was a reasonable expectation of harm under s.20(1)(c)
• Whether a third party is or will be conducting contractual or other negotiations under s.20(1)(d)
• Whether disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with those negotiations under s.20(1)(d)
• Whether there was a reasonable expectation of harm under s.20(1)(d)